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Lone Wolf: Predator in the Snow

Lone Wolf survived the first wave. Now that it's snowing, the enemy has returned with some surprises.

By Michael HawkinsPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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For the past three hours, it's been snowing, covering the ground in a thick blanket. Lone Wolf remained in prone as he awaited for excavation. Though he was covered in ice, he was quite warm, using a heating device that he took from one of the troops he killed earlier, a device he is now lying on top of, to keep him from freezing. A wolf howled in the distance as the snowy wind blew softly, though Lone Wolf remained still.

He then heard rumbling of vehicles drawing close. The enemy has returned. He began seeing movement from the trees and he flicked the safety switch off. Soldiers began trudging out of the woods. Lone Wolf recognized them from the earlier engagement, looking at their faces through his scope. He noticed several of them were carrying crates. He watched as they began opening the crates and taking out equipment. As they began to set it up, Lone Wolf took careful aim and fired.

Several soldiers ducked, though none was shot, and a few stood in front to provide cover for the others as they finished setting everything up. Lone Wolf let out a soft snicker, partly seeing as how jumpy they were and partly because he now knew what they brought with them. They had set up a small laser-designated howitzer. It's practically useless in weather like this and he knows it. Before they could start loading it, he fired at the soldier closest to it, forcing the others to drop to their bellies.

As soon as the first shell was loaded in, one of the soldiers tried to activate the laser to scan for Lone Wolf but it wouldn't activate. Lone Wolf couldn't help but shake his head. The howitzer was poorly designed in a third world country and dozens like it were shipped off to those who paid the highest bid for them. Because of poor designing, the laser targeting system shorts out upon exposure to water, ice, extreme heat, and the system is just one of the few flaws.

The soldier handling the howitzer began to manually angle it, hoping he will hit the elusive sniper with one shot, and he pressed the button. Nothing happened and the soldier yelled in frustration. When they checked the loading chamber, they found that the firing pin was broken. Not wanting to waste any more time, Lone Wolf took aim at the soldier who removed the shell from the chamber. He aimed down at the shell and squeezed the trigger.

A few men, along with the broken down howitzer, were engulfed in an explosion as a result. The remaining four stood and fired blindly as they advanced through the snow. Lone Wolf laid quiet as whispers of bullets pierced the air around him. When the shooting stopped and the men came close, one of them within arms reach, Lone Wolf launched himself from the snow, clutching both knife and handgun, slashing and stabbing into the closest soldier, before using him as a shield when the other three, startled from the surprise, began to fire at him.

He shoved the bullet-riddled corpse into the next soldier, knocking him down, and fired his handgun at the third before the fourth charged at him with his rifle butt raised in the air. Dropping the handgun, Lone Wolf caught hold of the rifle before the soldier could strike and embedded the blade into his skull. He quickly whirled around the second he removed the knife and threw it at the rising soldier, the knife impacting his chest.

Silence fell once again, but only for a minute. A low rumble was heard, drawing Lone Wolf's attention to the woods. Several trees crackled as a group of large armored robots, followed by dozens of soldiers, came out. He grabbed his rifle, his knife, and handgun before the troops opened fire. With bullets flying past him, Lone Wolf took careful aim and fired. He slung his rifle onto his back after firing another shot, killing two men in the process, before he grabbed a nearby soldier's machine gun.

He opened fire as the men advanced, several of them dropping along the way. He rolled as the robots continued to fire. He reloaded and fired once again. When the soldiers closed in, he tried to fire but the gun jammed. As he braced himself for the approaching death, a hail of bullets and rockets rained from the sky, destroying the machines and killing dozens of soldiers. Lone Wolf looked behind him to see a large gunship, escorted by a small fleet of drones and attack choppers, arriving with rocket pods and guns blazing. The gunship lowered and the side door opened.

Without waiting a second longer, Lone Wolf ran for the gunship and climbed aboard. As the door closed behind him, the pilot turned his head. "Sorry for the wait. Headquarters figured you could use some help." Lone Wolf only gave an appreciative nod before taking his seat, removing the rifle from his back. The gunship took off with the rest of the aircraft, leaving behind a field littered with wounded men, scorched metal, and corpses. Lone Wolf leaned his head back and closed his eyes as he looked forward to having some R&R upon returning.

science fiction
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About the Creator

Michael Hawkins

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